As World War II raged on, the student body shrunk considerably. After the war, the GI Bill® brought a wave of returning veterans to campus. The postwar baby boom created a new need for teachers, while growth in science and engineering programs helped expand Lowell Textile into Lowell Technological Institute.
  • Female Teachers College students play field hockey in 1942
    Field hockey became a popular sport at the Teachers College by 1942.
  • In 1944, class officers from the Teachers College assembled for a photo
    In 1944, class officers from the Teachers College assembled for a photo.
  • The Textile Institute’s class of 1945 in cap and gowns
    Due to World War II, the Textile Institute’s class of 1945 contained just 12 students.
  • The Swing Shift Band performing in 1945
    Members of the Teachers College’s Swing Shift Band played Gershwin and other contemporary music in 1945.
  • Female students pose for a photo in front of the State Teachers College at Lowell sign in 1946
    Female students gathered in front of the new sign for the Teachers College in 1946.
  • The Lowell Teachers College Campus Star newspaper staff in 1947
    In 1947, students from the Teachers College organized a monthly newspaper called the Campus Star.
  • A men’s basketball player shoots during a game on the top floor of Southwick Hall in in 1948
    At the Textile Institute, the men’s basketball team played on the top floor of Southwick Hall in in 1948.
  • Students sit in a lecture hall in the 1950s in wooden numbered chairs
    In the early 1950s, students at the Textile Institute often wore jackets and ties to class.
  • Female and male students in class at the Lowell Teachers College in 1952.
    By 1952, classes at the Teachers College included both female and male students.
  • Male students and female students playing bridge in lounge area in Eames Hall, 1957
    The bridge club from the Teachers College regularly met at the Eames Hall lounge in 1957.
  • A striking image of Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy leaving Cumnock Hall surrounded by saluting officers
    Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy toured Cumnock Hall in 1958.